The Pain You've Caused
by el diablo
Summary: Kitty's attacked one night. Similar occurences happen. No one knows what or who to believe. Why are these things happening?...Is she really dead? Some Lancitty and Romy. As well as a few others. Complete.
1. Occurrences in the night

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own X-Men.

Chapter 1

Occurrences in the night

Thunder boomed and lightening streaked across the sky waking up a young resident of the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters. She glanced at the clock beside her bed and groaned; it was flashing 2:30 a.m. She rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. But just as she got comfortable, another loud clap of thunder broke out. Deciding that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon, she got up and headed downstairs.

She headed for the kitchen thinking that maybe a warm glass of milk would help put her to sleep. But just as she was getting ready to pour the milk, she heard a noise coming from the rec. room. Curious, she set the milk aside and headed off in that direction.

The mansion was kind of scary at this time of night, especially when it was storming. The only light was from the occasional lightening, and that only lit up the room for a mere second or two.

Once she reached the rec. room she glanced nervously inside, looking for any sign of life. She didn't have to look very far though. There, with his back turned to her, was the last person she expected to see; well, maybe not the last, he did live here after all.

She took a tiny step toward him, and reached out to touch his shoulder. That, though, was a mistake. He turned around and grabbed her arm, a menacing look in his eyes. She froze. And before she could say anything to try to get through to him, she had been thrown into the wall.

She slid down to a sitting position and looked up at her mentor, tears in her eyes. _Why is he doing this?_ She wondered, shaking all over. But she didn't have long to ponder, for he had grabbed her by her hair, pulling her up. He then punched her repeatedly, all over. All she could do was cry, powers forgotten. Once he finished hitting her, he threw her back against the wall.

She struggled to get up, and tried with all her might to get away before he caught her again. But with no luck, he had spotted her. He had been waiting for her to try to escape. He grabbed her by the arm again, and kneed her in the stomach, most likely breaking a few ribs. She was now panting on the ground.

Before she knew what was going on, he was beside her, ripping away at her clothes. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. So, she did the only thing she could think of: she kneed him in the balls.

She watched him fall over sideways, howling in pain. She managed to get up, and she looked down at him once more, tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe what he had just done to her; tried to do to her. She was shaking as she turned around and made a run for it. Out of the mansion, out of their lives, away from the pain.

She kept running until she reached a familiar sight. She ran up the steps and banged on the door with the last amount of energy she could gather. She leaned against the doorframe, waiting for someone to answer the door.

She heard movement and voices inside, followed by a light being turned on. The voices became louder, meaning they were getting closer. She breathed in heavily, praying that they'd let her in.

The door was opened forcefully and she saw an angry looking Scarlet Witch. But her disposition changed almost immediately as she saw the beaten up girl half standing, half leaning against the side of the house in front of her. She gasped as the girl began to fall. She caught her and then turned around and yelled at the only other awake person in the house.

"Pietro, get over here and help me." She shouted from her kneeling position in the doorway.

Pietro joined her shortly and gasped at what he saw. He leaned down and picked the girl up, bringing her into the house. He laid her down on the couch and put a blanket over her. He then went over to his sister and told her to go to bed, there was nothing else they could do for her tonight. She nodded in agreement, and headed off toward her room. Pietro took one last glance at the young, bruised girl and took off for his room. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

A/N: Ha. Okay, I didn't give names for a reason…. Uh, not really, I just thought I'd leave you all guessing. So, if you can guess who the girl is and who the mentor is, I'll give you…candy!

Also, I'll be gone for the next few days, which means I won't be back till Wed. So, I'll try to update then.


	2. What ever happened to sleeping in?

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

A/N: I am so sorry that it's taken me this long to update. My computer had a virus or something. Well, here's the next chapter.

Kool-Wolf- Uh…thanks for the review. You'll find out this chapter.

Cat2Fat900- Well, your first guess was correct, so...I owe you candy!

LanceIsHot- Sorry I didn't exactly update the second I got back, my computer and I have not been getting along very well. But, I owe you candy because you guessed right!

Numbuh333halfway2hell- Thank you! And yes, you're right of course. So you get candy as well! I guess I _was_ a little obvious (shrugs). And I suppose I made the other person obvious as well…or did I? (evil smirk)

Chapter 2

What ever happened to sleeping in?

**Xavier Institute - 6:32 a.m.**

Rogue woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the door. She groaned and put her pillow over her face, willing her already forming headache to go away. She heard whoever it was at the door leave and she sighed, wondering why they even bothered with early morning sessions. _Who in their right mind is truly awake at this time of day?_ She wondered, not exactly being a morning person herself. She then sat up and stretched, ready to begin the normal morning routine.

"Rise and shine Kit." Rogue said, standing up and heading toward her dresser. When there was no response, she turned around to find an empty bed. "That's weird, she's never up this early." She mumbled to herself.

Rogue just shrugged it off and changed, then headed downstairs for the Danger Room. Once there she realized that everyone else was already waiting on her. Well, almost everyone; Kitty was still nowhere to be seen. Kurt seemed to notice this as well, even though he was half-asleep.

"Rogue, have you seen Kitty?" Scott asked, coming over to her.

"No, Ah was hopin' one of y'all had." She said, trying to keep the worried tone out of her voice. _It's probably nothin',_ she told herself. _Kit probably just woke up early and decided to go for a walk or somethin'._

Just then the session began and Rogue found herself wishing she was back in bed. Wolverine seemed to be pushing them a lot harder lately and no one could figure out why. But this morning had to be the worst.

They came out thirty minutes later, bruised and irritable. Rogue headed straight for the showers, a line of curse words emitting from her mouth in a low tone. She was scowling at anyone that got in her way and she even shoved Sam, who had accidentally strayed into her path, causing him to cannonball out of control; in other words, there was a new window on the second floor.

After a long, hot shower, Rogue headed downstairs for breakfast. She sat down in her normal seat between Kurt and Kitty; only, one of the two was conspicuously absent. That was probably the reason there was such little talk at breakfast; and what talk there was seemed to involve the disappearance of a young X-girl.

The Professor strolled in about five minutes later and everyone quieted down. He gave the news of Kitty's disappearance, saying that he did not have a lead.

"Apparently," the Professor addressed them, "someone had messed with the cameras in the rec. room, because all we have found is that Kitty had gone from the kitchen to the rec. room and then there is nothing."

"Well, wouldn't the outdoor cameras show if she left the Institute?" Bobby asked.

The Professor sighed before continuing. "Yes Bobby, but I'm afraid that we only know that she fled the grounds; we have no idea as to what direction she went. And no," he said, glancing at most of them in turn, "she did not run away. If she were running away she would have taken her belongings. I'm afraid that something happened to her in those fifteen minutes from when she entered the rec. room, to when she left it."

Silent murmuring filled the room as the students tried to figure out what could have possibly happened. Rumors were already beginning to surface, and nobody knew what to believe.

"It is time for school, I will inform you all once you return of any news we may come across." He said, turning to leave. "Oh, and keep an eye and ear out for her at school. Any news as of now would be helpful."

"Come on, I'm leaving now if anyone needs a ride." Scott said after a moment of silence. Jean, Rogue, and Kurt followed him knowing that this was going to be one long day.

**Brotherhood House - 7:40 a.m.**

Lance woke up to the smell of something burning. He groaned and put his hand over his face. He then sat up and made his way downstairs, not really wanting to know what they ruined this time. He heard hushed voices as he came upon the kitchen. After realizing whom the voices belonged to, he started to worry; Pietro and Wanda never spoke to each other, let alone in soft, calm voices.

He entered the kitchen to find Fred and Toad eating pancakes, a frying pan with burned eggs sitting in the sink. Pietro and Wanda stopped talking the moment they noticed Lance, causing him to worry even more. But as suspicious as he was, he really didn't want to know. So, Lance did the only logical thing he could think of; he turned and walked away. Pietro, on the other hand, seemed to have other plans. He was in front of Lance before he even had the chance to blink.

"What's your hurry?" Pietro asked, fidgeting; Lance glared at him.

"What did you do?" he asked accusingly.

"Nothing." Pietro said defensively. "It's just, uh…" he started, glancing toward the living room; if you could even call it that.

"Just what?" Lance asked, losing his patience.

"Lance, stay calm." Pietro said, glancing toward the other room again; this time though, Lance noticed. He shot another angry glance at Pietro before making a dash for the living room. Once in the doorway though, his heart stopped.

"Kitty?" he whispered, staring at the bruised girl asleep on the couch.

He walked over to the couch and knelt down so that he was face to face with her. He looked her over, trying to figure out who could have possibly done this. He knew one thing for sure; whoever it was, was as good as dead.

He watched as Kitty turned in her sleep so that she was now lying on her side. That had obviously not been a very smart move since she winced in pain and let out a small whimper.

Lance stood up and headed back for the kitchen, the ground beneath him shaking slightly with each step he took. Once in the kitchen, he shoved Pietro against the wall.

"What the hell happened to her?" he demanded.

"I…I don't know." Pietro stuttered, the ground shaking harder by the minute, causing things to fall off the walls.

"Uh, I think I'll go to school yo." Toad said, making his way for the door, Fred on his tail.

"Lance, calm down." Wanda said, from her seat. "Kitty showed up around three and collapsed in the doorway. We didn't exactly have the chance to interrogate her."

Lance slowly let go of Pietro, who quickly dashed off muttering something about feeling safer at school, and tried his best to stay calm; but then he punched the wall. Wanda looked at him pityingly as he made his way back into the living room.


	3. Encounters

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Numbuh333halfway2hell - Wow! Thank you! (Blushes) You'll find out soon…I think.

Serpent Hand - Lol, well, you had Kitty right. Thanks for the review!

Lilian - No. But thanks for the review!

Kool-Wolf - Well, I updated…it may not have been soon, but…it's here!

Riderazzo - Thanks for the review! You'll find out soon…or rather, eventually.

Chapter 3

Encounters 

**Brotherhood Houses - 11:42 a.m.**

Kitty was still out of it and Lance had long ago carried her up to his room. He had removed the blanket from around her in order to get a better look at her bruises. Lance was shocked at what she looked like; there was hardly any part of her that wasn't covered in bruises. He arms showed signs of someone holding her tight; the traces of fingers were very recognizable. The whole left side of her face was pretty much black and blue and her lip was busted, dried blood still on her chin. Her legs were pretty much in the same condition as her arms; only, it looked as if someone had kicked her repeatedly.

Lance then looked at her clothing, noticing that it was ripped in places. He bit back the anger he wanted so badly to let loose and pushed back a stray strand of hair that had fallen onto her face. He then lifted her shirt up to her chest, keeping her covered.

He felt tears forming in his eyes as he stared at her. The whole right side of her stomach was bruised. It also looked like her ribs had been broken. Lance just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Wanda had been standing in the doorway observing him for some time. A faint smile played across her lips as she saw how gentle he was being with her. But there was also a ton of anger and hatred that had built up in her as she too wondered who could have done this to Kitty.

"I think her rib is broken." Lance said, startling Wanda; she didn't know he knew she was there.

"We can't take her to a hospital." Wanda said quietly. "They'll never treat her. You know they know we're mutants."

"I know, but we have to do something." Lance said, still sitting on his bed; he had taken Kitty's hand in his.

"Why not take her to McCoy?" Wanda suggested, knowing full well that that wasn't going to work.

"She ran away from that place, do you really think it'll be that easy to get her to go back?" Lance said, incredulously.

"Lance?" Kitty asked weakly, squeezing his hand a little. Lance jumped, startled, and turned his attention back to the girl beside him.

"I'll be back." Wanda said before disappearing from the doorway.

"I…I'm sorry." She said, placing her free arm around her middle, holding her stomach.

"Kitty, there's no need to apologize. You're always welcome here, you should know that." Lance said, wiping a few of her tears away.

"It hurts." She said quietly, looking away. "I'm scared."

"Don't worry Kit, nobody will hurt you here." Lance said, leaning over and kissing her forehead gently. "And I'm going to kill the bastard that did this to you."

Kitty's eyes filled up with tears as she looked into Lance's. He seemed so serious just then. Kitty still loved him and she knew he still had feelings for her. But she just couldn't bring herself to tell him just who it was that did this to her; it hurt too much.

Kitty tried to sit up, but soon found that that was a mistake. Lance moved to sit behind her so that she could lean against him. She felt herself blushing as Lance put his arms around her gently, not wanting to hurt her.

"Thank you." She whispered, closing her eyes.

**Bayville High - 12:00 p.m. (lunch)**

Rogue had been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. And seeing Pietro, Toad, and Fred at school was awfully suspicious. She glared and stood up, walking over to where they were sitting. She sat down beside Pietro and she noticed that he looked nervous. _Jack pot._

"So, Pietro, what are y'all doin' at school? And where's your idiotic leader?" she asked, smirking because she knew she was getting to him.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He said quickly, back to his normal self.

"Okay, let's cut to the chase." She said, glaring at him and taking off her glove. "Where the hell is Kitty?"

"And why do you automatically assume that I know?" he asked, not noticing that she had removed her glove.

"Because you're so easy to read." She said, touching him and causing him to slump over onto the table. She put her glove back on and held her head; shocked at the information she had just received.

Pietro recovered quickly and glared at her as he sat up. But his expression softened as he noticed the tears forming in her eyes. _So, she has a heart after all._

"Come over after school." Pietro said, standing up and following Toad and Blob who had just taken off. But then he turned around adding this as if an afterthought. "Come alone."

She nodded and headed inside to her next class. This day couldn't end soon enough.

**After School**

Rogue told Scott that she was just going to walk home today. He seemed reluctant at first to let her go, but after realizing that there was no arguing with her, he left with Jean, Kurt, Bobby, and Jubilee.

Rogue made her way to the Brotherhood house as quickly as she could. She really didn't like the idea of walking around alone, especially since she was a mutant and the world was against her, but she got over it.

As she neared the place, she could swear that someone was following her. She had felt this extra presence for some time, but had ignored it thinking it was Pietro trying to get on her nerves. But then she realized that Pietro had had detention and wouldn't have been let out yet.

A cold chill ran up her spine as she continued along, glad that she didn't have that far to go. She was just about to go around the corner onto the street where the Brotherhood house was when the person who had been following her decided to make themselves known.

"Bonjour chère." Said an all too familiar voice. He smirked when he noticed that Rogue had jumped a little and that her heartbeat had increased. "Did ya miss Gambit?"

"Damn swamp rat." She muttered, glaring at the sneaky Cajun in front of her; he smirked.

"Gambit take dat as a yes." He said, moving closer to her.

"Ah'm not in the mood Cajun." She said irritably, pushing past him and continuing her route to the Brotherhood house.

"Ya wound Remy, chère." He called to her retreating form, pouting somewhat; it was her turn to smirk.

"Good." She said without turning around.

He watched her curiously as she entered the Brotherhood house. _Now what would Remy's chère be doin' in dat rat hole?_ He wondered. He decided he'd just have to find out for himself, since he found it highly unlikely that Rogue was going to tell him.


	4. Who was it?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is remotely familiar.

A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while to update. I had writer's block or something. And thanks to all of you who have reviewed and to those of you who are still reading. You make my day.

Kool-Wolf - Thanks for the review. I know this isn't soon, but it's here.

Numbuh333halfway2hell - Thanks for the review. And you'll find out fairly soon, if you don't know who it is already.

Sangofanatic - Thanks for the review. And I suppose it wasn't really that hard to figure out who they were, lol. But hey, ya never know…

Pinkpunkmonkey - Glad you do.

Riderazzo - Well, I updated…obviously. And yeah, I couldn't not have him there, lol.

Silvar - Glad you like it so far. And uh…well…here's the next chapter!

Tommy Sharpton - Lol. Okay, well, here it is.

Starrydreamz - Yeah, I've had writer's block and such (not to mention I was out of town and computerless for almost 2 weeks…which really isn't an excuse, but whatever). But anyway, I'm back! So, enjoy…

Chapter 4

Who was it?

Rogue didn't bother with formalities; she entered the Brotherhood house and headed straight for the stairs. She wasn't sure where Kitty was but she doubted that she'd just be lying around downstairs out in the open. Her first guess as to where she was, was Lance's room; considering Lance wasn't at school and she was pretty sure he would gladly give up his own bed for her.

Rogue reached Lance's room and found Lance sitting on the floor staring at the closed door. He looked up at Rogue and gave a faint smile, causing Rogue to look at him curiously. She sighed and sat down beside him.

"What's goin' on?" she asked, staring at the door. "How is she?"

"Beast is in there with her now. She…she doesn't look good." Lance said, his voice breaking slightly.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." Lance said, running a hand through his hair. "From what Wanda told me, she showed up in the middle of the night and collapsed. She's pretty beaten up though. And a few of her ribs are broken."

Rogue's eyes narrowed; she had gotten the other information from Pietro but she didn't know how badly off she was. She just couldn't understand what could have happened to her.

Just then, Beast came out and sighed. He looked at the two teens sitting on the floor in front of him as he closed Lance's door behind him. Lance and Rogue stood up and faced him, wanting answers. He led them downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table; the other two did the same.

"I bandaged up her stomach and told her that she shouldn't be doing anything that could cause more damage. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about the bruises." He said, shaking his head sadly. "I honestly cannot think of who could have done such a thing to her. And she is so scared, she would barely let me near her." Beast said sadly.

"Can Ah go see her?" Rogue asked, still unable to picture what condition Kitty was in. Beast nodded and that was all she needed. She made her way upstairs at a speed that would put Pietro to shame.

Rogue opened the door slowly and made her way inside. She gasped when she saw Kitty; she was worse than she imagined. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Kitty was staring at the wall, pointedly avoiding her.

"Kit…who did this to ya?" Rogue asked quietly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall at seeing her best friend this way. Kitty looked at Rogue with tears in her eyes as well, but there was a small smile playing on her lips.

"I…I can't…." she said, bringing a shaking hand up to her face and wiping away some of her tears. "It…I…He wasn't himself...I could tell."

"Who Kit? Please, whoever did this to ya has to pay." Rogue just looked on in amazement as her stubborn friend did nothing but shake her head. "Kitty, Ah don' understand why ya can't say who it is…but Ah ain't gonna push it." She said, knowing her friend would come around eventually. "Well, Ah'm goin'. Ah'll stop by tomorrow and check on ya, alright?"

"Thanks Rogue." Kitty said, smiling at her friend. "Could you ask Kurt to stop by sometime, too?

Rogue nodded, a small smile on her face. She then left, closing the door behind her. She made her way back downstairs where Beast was waiting for her. She said goodbye to Lance, telling him that she'd be back tomorrow after school.

Gambit had been lurking in the shadows for some time. He had slipped in and out of the house without being noticed and had heard the gist of what was going on. He was kind of surprised that one of the X-Men had been beaten up in such a way; and even more surprised at the fact that she had the power to phase out of danger but didn't. He just shrugged it off though and went on his way.

Rogue had glanced out the window of the X-van as they pulled out and she could have sworn she saw red on black eyes staring back at her, but when she looked again there was nothing there. She closed her eyes and shook her head, looking straight ahead once again.

Once at the mansion, Rogue and Beast were bombarded with questions. After managing to slip away from everyone, Rogue headed off to find Kurt. Beast wasn't as lucky and was currently backed into a corner of the room by pretty much all of the new recruits.

Rogue found Kurt pacing in his room. She sighed and knocked on his already open door. He turned to look at her and started the 20-question game in German almost immediately. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to shut up. He did so after about five minutes.

"Ok, first of all...Ah have no idea as to anythin' ya just said." She said as he stared at her in disbelief; but before he could open his mouth again she held up her hand to stop him. "But Ah do have a message to deliver." Then she paused, enjoying the impatient look on his face as she took her time. He was about to say something when she spoke up. "Kitty wants ya to visit her at the Brotherhood house."

"Vhat?" Kurt said alarmed. "Vhy is she zhere."

"Listen Kurt, she doesn' look good at all. And she wouldn' talk to me. Ya need to find out who hurt her." Rogue said seriously. "Get her to talk to ya."

"I vill try." He said, and then he ported away.

A/N: Yeah, not my best chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought.


	5. Another attack

Disclaimer: 'Tis not mine.

A/N: Well guys, I'm afraid this story might be slow going once again. I just started college today. (8/22) Though, I'm not working. So, it really just depends on whether or not I'm feeling inspired/can actually remember where this thing was going to begin with. It also depends on the amount of homework I'll have. (Groans) But stick with me, cause I promise not to leave ya hanging forever!

Starrydreamz - Yeah, I've always thought Kurt and Kitty had a really good friendship, but she doesn't exactly open up to him…Well, Scott's in this chapter; I think you said you wanted him to come into the picture…Anyway, thanks for the review! Here ya go…

Riderazzo - Mwuahaha! Uh, yeah…I'm thinking you'll find out soon…maybe.

Anime-fanatic-17 - Thanks! Here ya go.

Numbuh333halfway2hell - I'm so sorry it took so long. (Hides) Spectacular? (Raises eyebrows) Really? (Blushes) Thanks! And as for who it is…I'm guesstimating three more chapters till ya find out for sure…Honestly though, who really knows?

Chapter 5

Another attack

Dinner at the Institute that night was more crazy than usual. Questions and rumors flew like wildfire. Beast had told the other adults of Kitty's whereabouts and condition earlier, but as of now the students were still pretty clueless. They started pestering Rogue during dinner, but after having been reprimanded by Scott and the Professor earlier for not coming straight home after school she really wasn't in the mood to answer any questions. And it took her knocking Bobby unconscious to get it through their heads.

Kurt was still at the Brotherhood house and Rogue was beginning to get worried; he'd been gone for about two hours. She wondered if he had been able to get anything out of her. Doubtful as she was, she wasn't giving up all hope.

It was about ten minutes later when Kurt showed up, an unreadable look on his face. He entered Rogue and Kitty's room and sat down on the latter's bed. Rogue looked at him curiously, still unsure if he had found anything out or not. But before she had the chance to ask, he told her what he knew.

"She vouldn't tell me who did it. She just kept saying zhat 'he vas not himself'." Kurt said sadly, avoiding his sister's gaze.

"Who is this _he_?" Rogue asked out loud. "He has to be someone from the Institute, but who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know." Kurt said angrily.

"Well, we can rule out you and Beast." She said.

"Ja, so that leaves everyone else. Or, the rest of the guys I guess."

They sat there for the longest time, going over possibilities of who this "he" was. During their thought process they eliminated Jamie, Bobby, Sam, Ray, and Roberto as well as the Professor. Sadly, that left Scott and Wolverine. Neither of them wanted to believe it, but what choice did they have? _Someone_ had betrayed them. The question was, who will the others believe?

Rogue fell into a fitful sleep that night. The thought of one of her teammates going against them wasn't a pleasant one. She just didn't understand it. What had Kitty done to deserve that? And by someone she trusted, no less.

Rogue woke up in a cold sweat and looked at her clock; 2:18 a.m. She groaned and rolled over so that she was facing the balcony doors…that were open. She sat bolt upright, immediately on alert. She looked around the room but her eyes weren't well adjusted to the darkness yet. No one was there, or so she thought.

She climbed out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom that was connected to their room; the door was ajar. She took a deep breath and threw the door open, ready for an attack; but none came. She let out a breath as she turned back around only to bump into someone. She was getting ready to scream when a hand covered her mouth. She couldn't make out who it was, but they smelled of cigarettes and…spices?

"Gambit?" she questioned, pulling away from him.

"Oui chère." He said, moving over toward the beds and turning the lamp on from the closest nightstand.

"What the hell are ya doin' here?" she asked angrily, walking over to where he was sitting on her bed.

"Now, is dat any way to treat your guest chère?" He asked, pretending to pout.

"It is when ya come into my room uninvited in the middle of the night." She replied, glaring daggers at him.

"So, if Gambit had been invited then how would ya have greeted him?" He asked seductively, grabbing her arm and pulling her into his lap; she blushed. "Show me chère." He whispered huskily into her ear, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"Stop it swamp rat! Ah ain't fallin' for none of your charms." She said coldly, removing herself from his grasp. "Now tell me why you're here before Ah kick your ass."

"Such harsh words, chère." He said, pouting at her again. "Fine, Remy will tell ya why he be here." He sighed. "Been spyin' on ol' Buckethead and his new employee. Don' trust 'im."

"Magneto or the new guy?" Rogue asked, surprised that he's actually telling her something. "Wait, scratch that. Y'all prob'ly don' trust no one." He smirked.

"Oui, but I really don' trust dis new guy. He didn' even give a name and I ain't real sure if Mags is doin' the orderin' or taken the orders."

"But Magneto don' take orders from anybody." Rogue said, confused.

"Dat's what worries me."

"Wait, do ya think this has somethin' to do with Kitty bein' attacked?"

"Oui."

"Why?"

There was a pregnant pause as Gambit unconsciously glanced around the room, most likely making sure that no one was around and that he wouldn't be overheard. Nevertheless, his voice was still lower when he next spoke. Rogue noticed the change.

"Dere's a list. On Magneto's computer." He whispered urgently. "It has most of de X-girls names on it along wit' some others. I didn' have any more time to check it out 'cause Fluffy was doin' his rounds."

"Fluffy?" Rogue asked confused, then held up her hand. "Ah don' wanna know." He smirked at her again. "What's he plannin'?"

"I don' know, but dat boom-boom girl's name was next."

"Tabitha?"

"Oui, dat be de girl I t'ink. Maybe we should tell your Professor before--"

But he was cut off when a scream echoed throughout the mansion. Doors were being thrown open left and right as everyone made their way out into the hall in order to find the source of the sudden outburst.

(A/N: I sooo wanted to end it here, but that would've been mean.)

A large crowd was gathered around Tabitha's room when Rogue and Gambit emerged from Rogue's room. They joined the crowd of people that were currently trying to push their way into Tabitha's room to see what had happened. It didn't take long for Beast to join them, forcing the students aside so that he could join the other adults in the room. The door was shut behind him and they were all left to wonder.

All of the students assembled downstairs in the rec. room where they were holding their own meeting while the adults were busy upstairs. All the seats were taken and more than a few people were shaken. Rogue looked around at them all as she stood off to the side with Gambit, who had yet to leave. Cyclops took the floor and started their meeting.

"First off, does anyone know anything about these attacks?" He asked to start off.

_Oh, Ah'm real sure if they did that they'd just come right out and tell ya._ Rogue thought sarcastically. _Dumbass. _Rogue added before noticing Jean glaring at her; she just smiled and gave a little wave.

"Secondly, why the hell are you here?" He asked, glaring at Gambit. Because of all the commotion, no one seemed to notice him until now.

"Gambit was just visiting his belle chère, mon ami." He replied smoothly, putting his arm around Rogue's waist. Scott rounded on Rogue.

"Explain yourself." He demanded.

Rogue was really not in the mood for this. Kitty and Tabitha had just been attacked and all he was worried about was why Gambit was there. Of course, she supposed he could also be a suspect…_No_, she told herself firmly, _Gambit wouldn't do that; besides, he was with me the whole time._

"Fuck off." She replied, causing him to raise his eyebrows. "Why Gambit is here ain't as important as findin' out who is doin' this."

"How do we know _he_ isn't the attacker." Scott asked, glaring at the two of them in turn.

"Because _he_ was with me when Tabitha was attacked, ya idiot." She replied before Gambit even had the chance to open his mouth. "How do we know _you_ aren't the attacker?" She asked, glaring at him in return.

"Rogue, that is highly uncalled for. Why would Scott attack Kitty and Tabitha?" Jean interrupted, joining the argument.

"He has just as much a motive as anyone else here." Rogue retorted, glaring at Jean now.

"How do we even know it's a guy?" Bobby asked from his seat on the couch.

"Because Kitty kept saying 'he vasn't himself'. So that makes us believe that she knows whoever it is pretty well." Kurt answered.

"And she refuses to come back here, so it's gotta be someone from the Institute." Rogue added, still glaring at Scott and Jean.

"Fine then, how do _you_ propose we find out who it is?" Scott asked, dropping the Gambit thing for the time being.

"Ah have an idea, but Ah wanna talk to Tabby first."


	6. Out cold

Disclaimer: Not in this lifetime.

A/N: I am officially back on track! Woot! And this story officially became very Romyish.

Starrydreamz - Thanks for the review! And no, Tabitha wasn't attacked exactly the same way. Kitty was never stabbed; she was just beaten horribly. Well, I guess you could say she was saved, but then again…I don't know how to put it. The "attacker" isn't really aiming to kill…

Sugarhighnutjob - First of all, I love your name, lol. And thanks for the review! And yes, you did spell it right, lol. Well, I wouldn't know anyway, but I checked it all the same, lol…since you asked and all. And was this soon enough?

Numbuh333halfway2hell - No, it isn't just Kitty…anymore. I kind of forgot about where I wanted to go with it a while ago and when I started writing again it went in a totally different direction. Um, it also became very Romyish. I'll still try to add a bunch of Lancitty but I don't wanna promise anything. Hopefully you'll keep reading anyway. If not, thanks for the reviews and I'm sorry if I disappoint!

Chapter 6

Out cold

Rogue knocked lightly on Tabitha's door the next morning before entering. Tabby was lying on her bed, eyes closed, a serene look etched on her face. She stirred when Rogue sat down in the chair beside her bed, opening her eyes a little in order to adjust to the light. After taking in her surroundings, she fixed her gaze on Rogue.

"How are ya feeling?" Rogue asked politely.

"Not that great." Tabitha said, unconsciously moving her hand down to hold her side.

"What happened exactly?" She asked, watching Tabitha sigh before starting.

"I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back someone jumped me from behind. They covered my mouth with their hand and then shoved me up against the wall, face first." She said, indicating her broken nose. "I bit down on their finger and they spun me around and, well, stabbed me." She finished quietly, her speech obviously rehearsed.

"Do you know who it was?" Rogue asked, just as quietly; Tabitha didn't answer. "Come on Tabby, someone is trying to seriously harm us. Please, did you see who it was?"

"No." She said firmly, looking away from Rogue and noticing another presence in the room for the first time. "What are you doing here?"

"Gambit's here to help, petite." He said, coming out of the shadows and moving to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Why do you care if someone's trying to kill us?" Tabitha asked coldly, staring up at the guy who is supposed to be her enemy.

"Gambit doesn't wan' to see one of his teammates die." He replied seriously, glancing at Rogue as he said this.

"What?" Both girls asked in unison.

"Gambit, are ya serious?" Rogue asked quietly, looking at him suspiciously. "You're really joinin' the X-Men."

"Oui chère." He said, taking her hand in his causing her to blush.

"Why?" She asked, removing her hand.

"Why, to be close to ma belle chère, of course." He replied, winking at her; she narrowed her eyes and he sighed. "Remy just t'ink it be time for a change, non?"

"Okay, if you guys don't mind could you take it somewhere else. You're making me sick." Tabitha said, making gagging noises at the two; Rogue blushed and Gambit smirked.

"Are ya sure ya didn' see who attacked ya?" Rogue asked one last time as she stood up; Tabitha paused before biting her lip and shaking her head. Rogue sighed and headed for the door, but stopped abruptly causing Gambit to run into her. "Tabitha, what were ya stabbed with?" She asked slowly, not really sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"A knife." She replied, before closing her eyes and pulling her blanket up to her face.

Rogue closed Tabitha's door behind her as she and Gambit left the room. She started down the hall in deep concentration. Something wasn't adding up. But she didn't really have any time to think about it now considering she had to go to school.

**La la la…okay, school's over**

Rogue was sitting in the Brotherhood kitchen with Gambit, Lance, Wanda, and Blob; Toad had just been hexed into the living room for the fifth time and hadn't come back yet. They had been discussing the connection between the attacks. So far they came to the conclusion that both victims were attacked at 2:30 in the morning and that they are both dating a Brotherhood member; which would explain where Pietro is.

"Maybe it's Mystique, yo." Toad called from the living room.

"Why the hell would Mystique be attacking us? Ah doubt she gives a rat's ass 'bout any of the X-Men." Rogue said angrily. "Besides, last Ah heard Mystique was dead."

"Maybe she wants revenge." Wanda put in.

"For what?"

"Who knows, Rogue? The woman's insane." Lance said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, she's a suspect, are ya happy now?"

No one said anything else and Rogue rubbed her temples with her hands. They had been sitting there for hours coming up with possible suspects. So far they had: Mystique, Magneto, the mysterious guy either working for or employing Magneto, Sabretooth, practically anyone who wasn't a mutant in Bayville, and Wolverine and Scott; the latter of which Rogue insisted on blaming.

"Rogue, chère, ya need to relax." Gambit said, moving to stand behind her. He placed a hand on each shoulder and began massaging. She tensed up immediately and a scowl came across her face.

"Gambit, Ah'm givin' ya three seconds to get your hands off'a me." She stated dangerously. He just smirked and lowered his face down to her ear, breathing onto her neck causing her to tilt her head slightly to the left. Her eyes drifted closed as the others all watched in amusement, making bets on how long it would take before Gambit had a black eye.

Gambit continued to massage her shoulders as he moved his mouth closer to her ear. "Want Gambit to help relieve you of some of that…frustration?" He whispered huskily so only she could hear.

Rogue's eyes flew open and she stood up abruptly, face as red as a cherry. Gambit still stood behind her with an annoyingly smug look on his face. Rogue narrowed her eyes dangerously and then smiled sweetly at him. She walked over to him and ran a finger down his arm. Gambit raised his eyebrows at her as the others checked the clock and handed their money over to Lance, who only rolled his eyes. Then he mouthed _4…_

"Gambit, ya know Ah'd love to take ya up on the offer."

_3…_

"But there's just one little problem" He scrunched his face up in confusion.

_2…_

SMACK

"Ah can't touch, ya insensitive asshole."

"But chère," He whined, completely unfazed by the slap. And then he perked up and winked at her. "Gambit's very creative."

Lance rolled his eyes again and said, "One."

BAM

Gambit was out cold.

"You know, Rogue, I don't think using the frying pan was necessary." Wanda said, leaning down to make sure that he was still breathing and that he wasn't bleeding…much.

"Nah, sheila, 's much more amusin' when he gets hit with something other than a fist." Pyro said from the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lance asked, getting up and standing in the doorway leading to the stairs.

"Gambit here called me this morning and asked me to do some digging." He said, throwing an envelope onto the table; everyone just looked at him skeptically. "It ain't gonna explode." He said, rolling his eyes.

A/N: Um, sorry about the crappy attempt at an Australian accent. That, I can't do. So I'm really not even gonna bother. Lol.


	7. Should've seen it coming

Disclaimer: If I owned X-Men in any way I would definitely be living somewhere in the UK, not this sorry excuse for a town in WV.

A/N: Umm…:hides:…it's been a while, huh? Well, I have excuses galore so prepare yourself. 1. Lack of sleep. 2. School is killing me. 3. Can't remember my plot. (I know I said I was back on track last chapter, but I lied. Because I forgot…again.) 4. Very unmotivated. 5. I hate this story with a passion now. (Which is sad, because I liked my original plot. But it seemed to disappear along with what sanity I had left.) So once again, I apologize for these last few chapters. Well, it's gonna be more than a few…Whatever, you know what I mean.

Sugarhighnutjob - Thanks for the review! Hmm, where to start…let's see…1. You're welcome! 2. Yep! 3. Glad I didn't keep ya waiting too long. 4. Thanks! Lol. And I'm glad you thought it was funny! 5. Yeah, I don't really know. It sort of became Rogue-centered somewhere along the line. But I'm happy that you'll still read it! 6. And, I think I've figured out my plot…I'm kind of mixed up at the moment. I blame it on lack of sleep.

Starrydreamz - Thanks for the review! Here ya go…

LanceIsHot - Thanks! And is this soon enough?

Numbuh333halfway2hell - Hmm…Not really, no. Tabby wasn't really harmed as much as Kitty, but I guess in some ways it was the same. I can't really explain any more than I have without giving something away. But thanks for sticking with me!

Kool-Wolf - Thanks! She will. And sorry _this_ took so long.

Anime-fanatic-17 - Thanks for the review. And here ya go.

Chapter 7

Should've seen it coming

Rogue picked up the envelope and opened it, seeing a page on top with a list of names that presumably was the list Gambit was telling her about the night before. Kitty and Tabitha's names were highlighted, most likely meaning that they were taken care of. Rogue scanned the list. Jubilee was next, followed by Jean. Wanda wasn't on the list at all, neither was Rahne.

Rogue flipped the page and there was a new list, this time guys. Lance had a star by his name, as did Pietro. Bobby, Scott, Sam, Ray, and Roberto were on the list as well. Rogue just stared at thepapers confused.

"What does this mean?" She asked, staring at Pyro.

"Oy don' know sheila. Buckethead don' tell us nothin' anymore. Hell, he probably don' even know we aren't there."

"But why are only some of the X-Men on here? And some of the Brotherhood? Did anything happen to you or Pietro?" Rogue asked, looking straight at Lance.

"Not that I'm aware of." Lance said uneasily, not liking the idea of his name being on some madman's list. "Why?"

"Ya both have a star by your names." She said uncertainly. "Unless…they got to you because of what they did to Kitty and Tabby." She said slowly.

"That bastard." Lance growled. "Using them to get to us." He then stormed out of the room, most likely upstairs to visit with Kitty.

Rogue turned to the paper they had been using for suspects and added, albeit reluctantly, Beast, Storm, the Professor, Blob, Toad, Wanda, Pyro, Jamie, Rahne, Gambit, Kurt, and herself; she didn't bother removing Cyclops name. She set the pen down shakily. The others stared at her in disbelief.

"Why'd you add us to the list of suspects?" Wanda asked, looking at her oddly.

"Because none of our names are on this list." She said, flipping through the papers where there was information on each person. "And Ah don' know what to believe anymore." She whispered to herself.

There was a groan coming from the floor and a very pissed off Cajun sat up dizzily. Rogue wasn't paying attention; she was busy reading what this "madman" had to say about his victims.

"Damn, Rogue, ya didn' have to hit me so hard. Ya could've killed me." He said mock angrily, and then he pouted when he realized she wasn't even listening. "Chère?" He asked curiously, struggling to stand up.

Rogue jumped slightly when Gambit placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned around and for a millisecond he saw pain, confusion, and distrust in her eyes. But it was gone just as soon as it had come and he was certain no one else had seen it.

"Sorry Gambit." She murmured, sitting back down at the table and putting the papers back in the envelope. "Ah should prob'ly head back to the Institute, make sure Jubilee is still okay." She said, standing up again and heading for the door; envelope in hand.

"What did I miss?" Gambit asked, touching the spot on his head where Rogue had hit him; he flinched and removed his hand, pretty sure that a nice bruise would come of this. Rogue watched him and then looked away, biting her lower lip; Gambit noticed. "Pyro, what de hell are you…did you get de papers?"

"Oy got all I could, mate." He said, pointing toward the envelope in Rogue's hands. "And Oy didn't even get a thanks." He added, pouting; Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Right, thanks Pyro." Rogue said distantly.

"Come now sheila, call me John." He said, winking at her; Gambit glared at him and walked over to her, putting his arm protectively around her waist.

"Chère, let Gambit give ya a ride home, it's de least I can do." He said, giving her a true smile.

"Sure." She said vaguely.

**Back at the Institute**

"Where is Rogue." Cyclops asked the assembled group in the rec. room.

"She vent to see Kitty after school." Kurt said tiredly.

"That was four hours ago." Scott yelled, slamming his fist down on the coffee table.

"Scott chill out, I'm sure she's fine." Bobby said. (a/n: no pun intended)

Just then the sound of a motorcycle could be heard as it pulled up in front of the Institute. The engine died and the doors opened, revealing a tired and anxious looking Rogue and a concerned Gambit. They entered the rec. room and all eyes were on them. Rogue ignored everyone and took a seat on the only empty couch, Gambit right beside her; Scott glared at them the whole time.

"Where have you been?" He asked distrustfully; Rogue looked at him, finally aware of her surroundings. She rolled her eyes before answering.

"Will _out_ suffice?" She asked in a worn out tone, leaning back into the couch; Gambit put his arm around her shoulders. She looked at Scott and noticed he wasn't going to drop this anytime soon. "God Scott, Ah was at the Brotherhood house. Honestly, where do ya think Ah was?" She asked irritably.

"No need to get snippy with me, Rogue. As team leader I have a right to know where you are." Scott replied.

"Not every second of my life." She retorted, glaring at him. "Cause like it or not, what Ah do and who Ah do it with is none of you're business."

"I'm not saying that Rogue." He shot back, starting to get aggravated.

"Sure sounds like dat's what you're tryin' to say." Gambit said angrily. "Rogue can take care of herself."

"Stay out of this." Scott shouted at Gambit. "This doesn't concern you. In fact, you shouldn't even be here." And then he rounded on Rogue again. "That's another thing Rogue, why are you hanging out with this guy? He's Magneto's lackey for crying out loud."

"Scott, Ah'm really not in the mood for this." She replied, leaning her head on Gambit's shoulder; partially to piss of Scott, partially to calm Gambit down, but mostly because she could. "Can' we just get back to the subject of who's tryin' to kill us?"

"Fine." He said reluctantly. "Have you found anything else out since last night?"

"Ah have a folder with the victims names and from that we made a list of suspects." Rogue said, taking the papers out. "So far, we've come up with the Professor, Beast, Storm, Logan, Scott, Rahne, Jamie, Gambit, Kurt, and myself as suspects that are here. Other suspects are Sabretooth, Mystique, Magneto, Blob, Toad, Pyro, Wanda, and anyone from Bayville who isn't a mutant."

"Rogue, you do realize that half the people you named wouldn't have done it." Jean said from her seat beside Scott.

"Yeah? And how can we be so sure? No one here is trustworthy besides the names on this sheet." She said, waving the sheet with the victims' names on it and glaring at Jean before glancing around at everyone else. That's when she panicked. "Where's Jubilee?" She asked, standing up abruptly.

"She went to the bathroom." Amara said from her seat on the coffee table.

"When?"

"About," she looked at her watch, "I don't know, about fifteen minutes ago.

"Shit." Rogue cursed, running out of the room. She wasn't sure where she was going but that didn't matter, she needed to find Jubilee before it was too late.

Rogue threw open door after door, searching for any trace of the young Asian. She was starting to panic more as she realized she might not even be at the Institute anymore. And then she heard it, a low, whimpering noise coming from the closet at the end of the hall. Rogue ran to it and would have thrown the door open had it not been locked. Her hands were shaking so bad that she could barely hold the knob. Before she knew what was happening, the doorknob was glowing a faint pink color and she jumped out of the way as it exploded.

"What the hell?" She asked quietly, staring at her hands. But she didn't give it a second thought as she jumped up and pulled Jubilee out of the now smoking closet. Jubilee though, didn't seem to be injured. Her hands were tied behind her back preventing her from using her powers, her legs were also tied together, and she was gagged with a piece of cloth.

Rogue immediately pulled the cloth out of her mouth and untied the ropes around her legs with shaky hands. Her hands were tied too tight, so that would have to be taken care of by someone else.

"What happened?" Rogue asked shakily.

Jubilee just shook her head and nodded behind Rogue. She turned around and saw Gambit standing there, as well as Kurt, Scott, and the rest of the New Recruits. Bobby broke loose from the rest and ran toward her, taking her in his arms.

"Jubes, man, are you okay?" He asked, holding her close. She merely nodded her head and allowed him to freeze therope and then break them off. She then threw her arms around him and he hugged her close.

Rogue watched them curiously, not understanding what had just happened. _Why isn't she injured?_ She wondered to herself. She didn't even flinch as Gambit pulled her close and whispered something soothing to her in French. She unconsciously leaned into him and they watched as Bobby helped Jubilee up.

"Jubilee, who did this to you?" Scott asked, moving closer to her. Jubilee merely shook her head and moved closer to Bobby.

Rogue was still confused. Jubilee had been next on the list, yet she wasn't nearly as injured as the other two. Kitty had pretty much been beaten to a pulp…and she dated Lance, who once left the Brotherhood for her. Tabby had been stabbed, but it wasn't fatal…she now dates Pietro and had lived at the Brotherhood. Jubilee…Jubilee just didn't fit into the equation. _Who was next?_ Rogue asked herself in her mind. _Jean._

Jean hardly had any connection to the Brotherhood though. Besides that one point in time when Blob had a crush on her. But Jean did piss off…Mystique. Mystique, who was probably angry that the boys' were no longer fighting the X-Men and even more angry that two were dating them instead. Suddenly, it made sense. Mystique wanted revenge.

"Oh God." Rogue said out loud, catching everyone's attention. "Toad was right."

A/N: Mwuahaha! And the truth is revealed! So, anyone see it coming? Huh? Did ya? Did ya?


	8. An unexpected appearance

Disclaimer: Sadly, it is not mine. (Cries)

A/N: Well, I really shouldn't post this, I don't really like this chapter that much. _But_ it's my birthday (9/13) and I'm feeling generous, so…here ya go…

**Numbuh333halfway2hell** - Right in one. Lol. Or are you…

**Shadyk **- Hey girl! Sorry I didn't talk to you much the other day. I started reading this story and well, you know, I get distracted easily. Lol. Anyway, yep, of _course_ it was Mystique. I mean, honestly, who else would it be? (Smiles evilly)

**Roguechere** - Glad you like it so far. And I'm still trying to figure out her plan as well…

**Whylime **- This is a good story line? Really? (Blushes) Thanks! And I'm trying my best to remember, but I'm not really getting anywhere. I suppose I'll think of something eventually. So yeah, I don't know. Oh, and thanks. I'll try not to skip _too_ many classes. ; -P

**LanceIsHot** - Thanks! And you're not stupid, I would've had to go back and check as well. But that might have to do with the fact that I can't remember anything…like my plot. (Sigh) Oh well, I'll come up with something eventually.

**Anime-fanatic-17** - Well then, I suppose I'll just have to come up with something then, won't I? Lol. Glad you like it and thanks for the review!

**Kool-Wolf** - Thanks! Is this soon enough?

**Starrydreamz** - Thanks! Yep. And here you go…

Chapter 8

An unexpected appearance

"How could we not have seen it before?" Rogue asked for the millionth time, sitting with her head in her hands on the couch in the rec. room. Everyone had reassembled there after the little incident upstairs. Jubilee and Bobby were nowhere to be found, though; but that was to be expected. Gambit had his arm securely around Rogue's shoulders while she sat there trying to come out with the words she needed to explain what she knew.

"Rogue, we need you to tell us what you know." Scott said, kneeling in front of her and placing his hand on her knee. Gambit watched him closely.

"It's mah fault." She mumbled, her leg starting to shake. "All of it."

"Rogue, you aren't making any sense. What was your fault?" Scott asked, reaching for her hand in order to get a better view of her face. Oh, if looks could kill Cyclops would've been six feet under twice by now.

"Leave her alone, homme." Gambit said in a low, threatening voice. Scott immediately backed off.

"Ah…Ah need air." She managed, and then she shot up out of her seat and raced out the door.

"See what ya done?" Gambit asked accusingly, standing up and following Rogue's lead. Scott just stared with a mixture of shock and disbelief written across his face.

Gambit found Rogue sitting on the front steps. She was shivering slightly and he took his coat off and placed it over her shoulders. She didn't look at him as he sat beside her or give any acknowledgement that she noticed him at all. After a few long minutes of silence, Rogue reached her hand over and took his in hers. He looked at her surprised but she was still staring at nothing. He sighed.

"Wanna go for a walk, chère?" He asked quietly, squeezing her hand gently. She nodded her head slightly and made to stand up. He followed suit and the two of them made there way around the mansion toward the woods.

They reached a small clearing just inside the woods and Rogue stopped, pulling Gambit's coat closer around her. Gambit noticed this and he moved closer to her as well, pulling her into a hug. She didn't move for a few minutes, but when he didn't let go she gave in, throwing her arms around him and holding him tightly as she sobbed into his chest, afraid that if she let go he'd leave her. Startled by her sudden change in demeanor, his grip on her tightened and he held her as close as possible.

"Chère?" He asked when her body stopped shaking with quiet sobs. "Rogue, ya okay?"

"Ah'm what they want." She whispered into his shoulder. "The others were just an added bonus. They're tryin' to get to me. Toad was right, it was Mystique all along. She's just happenin' to get her revenge on everyone else while she takes her time getting to me." She sniffed. "Ah should've seen it coming, it was all too obvious. Jubilee, she was just a diversion."

"What do ya mean, Rogue? Diversion for what?" Gambit asked, confused.

"Jean. She's next." She whispered into his shirt. "And Ah can't stop it."

"No one blames ya chère. Mystique, she's insane." Gambit said, running his fingers through her hair.

"But…" she began, then paused, trying to figure something out. "Mystique wouldn't just leave a list of her victims lyin' around." She whispered, mainly to herself. "Unless she knew Ah'd find it. Do ya think she's tryin' to throw us off?"

"I don' know Rogue. We never really had to deal wit' her." Gambit said honestly. Suddenly Rogue froze as her ears suddenly perked up and she heard a noise coming from behind a tree. Unconsciously, she moved closer to the Cajun and looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of something. "What's wrong chère?"

"Someone's here." She whispered, and before he could do anything to stop her she teleported out of sight.

He stood there flabbergasted until he heard talking coming from somewhere off to his right. He quickly took off in that direction. It didn't take long for him to come upon Rogue and a strange blonde girl he had never seen before. He stopped and listened to what they were saying.

"Come on Mystique, Ah know it's ya. No use hiding your true form." Rogue snarled, raising her fists and getting into a fighting stance.

"My name is not Mystique. It's Carol." The other girl said calmly, glaring at the southern belle. Rogue narrowed her eyes, not daring to believe her.

"Ah'm not believing a word ya say." She said harshly, stepping closer to the girl who appeared no more than a few years older than herself.

"That's fine by me, cause there really is no need." She said, still as calm as ever. "Besides, you'll find out the truth soon enough." And then she flew forward and grabbed onto Rogue's exposed neck.

At first, Gambit thought she was going to strangle her, but then he put what she said and the fact that Rogue didn't have anything covering that part of her together and realized what was going on. He ran forward and attempted to pull the girl off Rogue, but she wouldn't budge. He growled slightly and tried again.

"Damnit, let go o' her." Gambit yelled, this time being successful in pulling her off. Rogue fell to the ground.

He fell back as well, Carol in his arms. He quickly set the girl aside and crawled over to where Rogue lay unmoving. He leaned down and made sure she was breathing before standing up. He walked back over to the girl who had called herself Carol and checked to make sure she was breathing as well. After making sure both girls were still alive, he picked Rogue up and sent a telepathic message to the Professor telling him that someone needed to bring the other girl in.

Kurt showed up a few seconds later and glared at the Cajun.

"What did you do to my sister?" He accused, looking at Rogue's unconscious form in his arms.

"Gambit didn' do anyt'ing mon ami, but it would prob'ly be a good idea to get these two inside." He said, not really in the mood to be lectured at the moment. Kurt seemed to agree and picked up the blonde girl, then grabbed Gambit's arm and teleported them all to the med. bay.

A/N: If you're confused, you're not alone…I've confused the crap out of myself. Review please and let me know what _you_ think is confusing so I can try to explain it better in the next few chapters. Oh and when it said "unexpected appearance" it really was unexpected. I never planned that I would add her, but then I had an idea…which I'm still trying to completely understand. So, just hang with me I guess. It's most likely almost over.

Oh and I don't really know that much about Carol, so sorry if she's out of character.


	9. Back to the beginning

Disclaimer: Ha! Right. Don't make me laugh.

**Starrydreamz -** Yeah, about that. I really am sorry. It started out as a Lancitty but I don't know what happened. So, once again, sorry. I'll try to add some in before it's over. But, I'm not so sure I can.

**Roguechere - **Lol. Thanks, I'll remember that.

**LanceIsHot - **Well, I would've originally answered that in this chapter but I decided to go a different way. So, it was supposed to be a plan of Mystique's to get her to join her somehow. I don't know, I never had a clear plan. But I do now, and Carol doesn't even matter, so yeah.

**Kool-Wolf - **Thanks. I try.

_Italics_- dream

Chapter 9

Back to the Beginning

Rain was falling hard as everyone somberly made their way into the rec. room. There were no smiling faces and no one spoke. It was eerie how quiet it was. They were waiting for the Professor so they could begin.

Scott and Jean were sitting on one of the couches and he had a comforting arm around her. The New Recruits were spread out throughout the room, possibly the quietest that they had ever been. Kurt and Kitty were sitting on another couch; Lance was sitting beside her with his arm around her while she held Kurt's hand in hers, letting him know that she was there for him, as he was for her. Pietro was with Tabby, and the remaining Brotherhood just sat there not knowing what to say or do. Pyro had an arm around Wanda while she leaned her head on his shoulder. Ororo and Beast were also sitting amongst the students, lending a shoulder to cry on when needed. Remy…Remy was standing alone in the shadows staring at the floor.

The Professor wheeled his way into the room at this point and looked around at all his students and friends. It was hard for him to know that he had let them down, that he wasn't able to protect the one who needed it the most; the one he thought could handle anything. He was sure she'd do amazing things to help the future of mutants and humans alike, but he was wrong.

A single tear escaped and made its way down his cheek; he didn't bother to wipe it away. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the others. Once everyone had given him their undivided attention, he gave a small speech about the recently passed X-Man and then they all made their way outside.

They had placed a tombstone under her favorite tree and had lowered her in previously. Now the others all had their chance to say their peace and placeflowers or some other memento on her grave. Finally, once everyone was finished, they all made their way inside. Remy was the only one left.

He stared down at the newly packed dirt and didn't even notice when a tear hit the ground; he was used to them now. It had stopped raining, but the ground was still muddy; he didn't care. He fell to the ground and glared at it angrily.

"Chère, why didn' ya try to hold on?" He whispered. "Ya could've tried harder. 'S not like ya to just give up.

And don' give me none of dis crap that ya did try. I was there Rogue! I watched ya take ya last breath!" Remy was shouting by this point. He barely noticed it had started to rain again.

"I loved ya Rogue!" He yelled, breaking down. "I still do." He whispered.

"And she loved ya too bub." A sullen voice said from behind him.

"She would've tried harder if dat were true." He said angrily.

"Listen bub, Rogue loved ya, I know she did. Ya may not have known each other that long but she truly cared for ya and it was obvious. Ya two were just stubborn." He said, and then he placed a single purple (a/n: that's right, purple) rose on her grave before walking off.

Remy stood up as well and took one last glance at her grave. "Je'taime Rogue." And then he disappeared into the night.

**Scene change**

Kitty was tossing and turning in her bed.

_It was New Years' Eve and they were planning a huge party at the Institute. They had invited the Brotherhood and the Acolytes; well,whowas left from the Acolytes. Piotr had returned to Russia months ago and Pyro had actually joined the Brotherhood. Remy hadn't been seen nor heard of since Rogue's funeral two months previous._

_Kitty was in charge of decoration, as well as Tabitha and Amara; but this was mostly to keep them out of the kitchen. But they took their job seriously and where they came up for decorations for this occasion was as good a guess as any._

_"Tabby, put that over by the couch." Kitty yelled across the room to the blonde; she didn't answer though. "Tabby? TABBY!" Still no answer._

_"Amara, do you like, know why Tabby is ignoring me?" She asked the younger girl; she didn't answer either. "What's going on?" She asked herself._

_Kitty left the room and wandered into the kitchen where Jean, Ororo, Kurt, Scott, and Rogue were making food for the party later. _Wait a minute! _Kitty thought, while doing a double take. _

_"Rogue!" Kitty shouted, running over to the girl and hugging her; she got no response. "Rogue, are you just going to like, ignore me. I thought you were dead." She said with tears in her eyes; still no response. Kurt however, turned to her and dropped the bowl he was holding._

_"Kitty?" He asked, bewildered; his eyes going wide as he stared at her. She gave him a funny look as the others turned to see what he was looking at._

_"Of course it's me Kurt, like who else would it be?" Kitty asked irritably._

_"Kurt, I thought you were over that. Kitty's gone, remember?" Scott said slowly while exchanging a glance with Jean._

_"I know, it's just…I got to go." Kurt then teleported away._

_"Scott, what are you talking about? I'm right here." Kitty yelled. "Scott! Jean! Ororo?" Her voice began to quiver. "No! This can't be happening!" Kitty screamed, and then she woke up._

She glanced over at her clock and it read 5:28 a.m. She sighed and rolled over. But then she sat up suddnely and grabbed her alarm clock; Tuesday October 16. _No_! She thought, jumping out of bed; Rogue was still asleep in hers. _Oh God! It was all a dream._ She sat back down and stared at her roommate for a while. _So, none of it happened?_

She climbed out of bed and made her way back downstairs again; it was still storming. There were no sounds anywhere. The kitchen light was still on, which was odd but she let it pass as she made her way toward the rec. room. It was dark and she stumbled over something as she walked into the room. She got up and turned on the light and what she saw made her scream.

**A/N: **Mwuahaha! I am so evil! Anyway…confused? Good. You should be. Sorry this ch. was so short. I'm happy to say that there are two (possibly three…it just depends) chapters left of this story.

Oh, and I thought I'd let you know that when the others were attacked what seemed like ages ago, it was Logan who attacked Kitty, Kurt who attacked Tabby, and Storm who attacked Jubilee. Actually they were all really Mystique, but you know what I mean. (Not like any of this really matters anymore, anyway.)


	10. Wake up

**Disclaimer: **Sorry, not mine.

A/N: Since the last chapter was so short…and confusing…I thought I'd give you this now.

**Schoolgurlx3 - **Thank you! And I'd be confused too. Heck, I was confused when I wrote it. No, Rogue's not really dead. And about Carol, uh…Hopefully this chapter will help explain a bit. I think I destroyed this story with my stupidity.

**Shadyk - **Lol. I warned you! I know, it was shorter than I thought too. Well, this one's nice and long…and probably even more confusing; I hope not, though. (Cries) I don't need more crap to explain. Lol.

**Roguechere - **Me too. Hopefully this chapter will clear some stuff up.

**Starrydreamz - **Thank you. I didn't think you were rude, I really did feel bad about the Lancitty thing. Because it did start out that way, and then I kind of…lost track of everything or something; who knows anymore?

Chapter 10

Wake up

Kitty woke up the next morning in her bed. She groaned as she rolled over and looked at the clock again. Then she shuddered as she thought about the last dream she had. She had stumbled across her own body in the rec. room.

She climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. After a long, hot shower she slowly made her way downstairs for breakfast. She seemed to be the first one up, though, because there was no one else around. She glanced at the clock; 6:43 a.m. _I hope Mr. Logan didn't schedule a Danger Room session. _

She sighed and grabbed an apple off the table, biting into it. After about fifteen more minutes of no one showing up, she sighed and decided to make her way out to the garage to wait on the others' for a ride to school.

Scott's car was gone when she got there. A cold chill suddenly made it's way up her spine. _That's like, weird._ She thought, looking out a window. _It's snowing in October._

Shaking it off she decided that she'd just skip today, so she went back upstairs and went to bed. It hadn't seemed that much later when she was woken up again by the sound of someone cranking up the stereo.

Kitty sat up; slightly annoyed that Rogue would blast music when she was obviously asleep. She was about to tell Rogue this when she saw something that shocked her; Rogue was crying. She was about to go over and comfort the girl, but Rogue suddenly tensed up and glanced around the room. Now Kitty was completely confused, _does she not notice me?_

"Ah know you're here swamp rat." She muttered.

"Chère, I hate to see ya cryin'." He said, coming out of the shadows and kneeling in front of her while taking his hands in hers. "Petite will come around. She's a strong femme."

"It's been three months."

"Trust me, mon amour." Remy said, causing Rogue to blush; he smirked. Sensing that they were having a moment, Kitty slid out of the room unnoticed.

She decided that she wanted to talk to Kurt, so she made her way down the hall to his room. After stopping in front of it, she knocked a few times and waited for him to let her in. There was no answer, but she could swear she heard him in there.

"Kurt?" She asked, knocking again; the door flew open.

"Kitty?" He asked, staring at her wide-eyed. He then reached his hand out and touched her face.

"What's like, up with everyone lately? This is just like my dream." Kitty mumbled, stepping into his room.

"How?" Was all Kurt managed to say.

"What are you talking about Kurt? How what?"

"You vere just…never mind." He said, realizing that this might not actually be Kitty and that he may be hallucinating or something.

"Whatever, you're like, totally freaking me out." She said, standing up and heading for the door. "I'm going to go over to the Brotherhood and visit Lance. I'll like, talk to you later, ok?"

"Sure." He said, still in disbelief as he watched her leave.

Kitty got a ride over to the Boarding House from Tabby who was going to visit Pietro. Once there, she went up to Lance's room where she figured he'd be; and she was right, of course. She didn't bother to knock this time, so she just walked right in. Lance was lying on his back on his bed and staring at the ceiling; his room smelled of alcohol.

"Lance?" Kitty said tentatively, walking over to his bed; he didn't answer her. _No, not him too._ She thought sadly, reaching her hand out and touching his face; he grabbed her wrist and stared at her.

"Kit…Kitty?"

"Yeah, it's me. Why are you so surprised?" Kitty asked, starting to worry.

Lance didn't answer, just sat up and pulled her into his arms. She could tell he was crying from the way his body was shaking. Confused, she put her arms around him as well and held him close. He broke away suddenly and backed away from her.

"You're not real." He murmured to himself. "Not real. Damn mind playing games with me again. Not real." Lance kept muttering, before reaching for a whiskey bottle and downing it.

"Lance? Lance! Stop it! I'm here, what's wrong with you?" Kitty shouted, taking the drink away from him.

"It…It's really you. You're really here." He whispered, taking her hand in his.

"Yes Lance, it's really me." Kitty said, tears starting to form in her own eyes; she feared for her boyfriend's sanity. "Lance, when did you start drinking?" She asked, worry and concern obvious in her voice and eyes.

"When…when you…how are you here? Rogue didn't tell me you woke up." Lance said, still not willing to believe she was real.

"Lance, seriously, you're scaring me." She whispered, biting her lower lip. Before Lance had a chance to reply, Lance's door flew open and Pietro glared at him from the doorway.

"Damnit Lance, I thought I got rid of all the alcohol. And who are you talking to anyway?" He asked, glancing around the room.

"Kitty. She's right here." Lance said in awe; Pietro sighed.

"Lance, how many times do we have to go through this? Kitty's gone."

"She's not gone!" Lance shouted, walking over to Pietro and shoving him up against the wall. "She's not." He said, loosening his grip and dropping to the ground.

With his head in his hands, he broke down. Kitty was too shocked to move. She watched as Pietro knelt down beside him and helped him up and back over to his bed. Lance sat down and continued to cry; Pietro left him alone.

"Lance." Kitty whispered, reaching out to him. "I'm right here. What's Pietro talking about?"

"You're not real! Go away! Leave me alone!" He shouted, refusing to look at her again. Kitty ran out of the house with tears in her eyes. _What's gotten into him?_

She ran all the way back to the Institute and collapsed on her bed. Rogue was nowhere to be found and at the moment she didn't care. She was so confused.

**Later that night**

Kitty woke up and looked out the window, noticing that the sun was starting to set; Rogue still wasn't back. Deciding to see what the others' were up to, she made her way downstairs. No one was around, and it was quiet; too quiet.

She went into the rec. room where everyone was just sitting around. She had a déjà vu feeling as she looked at all the sad faces. She looked around for Kurt or Rogue, but she didn't see either of them.

Leaving the rec. room, she made her way down the hall to the kitchen. Kurt was sitting at the table, head in his hands. She walked over to him slowly and sat down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder; he jumped.

"Kitty?" He asked, surprised; but then he closed his eyes tight and shook his head. "Not again. Zhis isn't real."

"Kurt, what happened?"

"Rogue was attacked by some girl named Carol. She's in zhe med. bay now." He said, chancing a glance at her again; she was really there. _How?_ He wondered.

Kitty suddenly felt like she was falling. _Hadn't that already happened? What is going on? _Kitty remembered visiting Rogue in the med. bay after the attack. She had woken up the next day with these new powers; super strength and the ability to fly.

**Flashback thing**

Rogue was horrified and slowly slipped into depression. Remy had joined the X-Men and hardly ever left her side. The Brotherhood members had joined as well, including Pyro. The Boarding House had burned down; and it actually wasn't Pyro's fault. Magneto had once again disappeared. And Mystique, well, she had failed…

Rogue ignored everyone and quit eating. She felt guilty about taking Carol's powers and leaving her in a permanent coma. Besides that, she had to live with Carol's memories and the guilt grew each day.

She had told Kitty once that Carol had been a pawn of Mystique's to get Rogue to leave the X-Men or something. With Mystique, it was hard to tell. Rogue said that she'd never forgive Mystique for this.

No one could get Rogue to come out of her depressed-state. It was like she had just given up; which was a huge possibility. But then again, it could've had to do with Carol's suppressed feelings or something flooding Rogue's own.

Rogue was slowly dying and there was nothing anyone could do for her. They put her in the med. bay and Hank monitored her behavior every day, but she never changed; if anything, she became worse.

Remy never left her side and Rogue couldn't understand why. She loved him, that much was obvious; but even he couldn't save her. He, though, was probably the only reason she lived as long as she did.

Rogue passed away on a Sunday afternoon, a little over a month after the attack. A funeral was held for her at the Institute and it was just a sad affair. Kitty remembered watching as Remy spoke silently to her grave before Logan appeared. And then they both left; Remy never to be heard from again.

**End flashback thing**

"But…Rogue died." Kitty said, looking back up at Kurt. "This already happened. Kurt, are you alright?"

"What are you talking about Kitty?" He asked her, confused.

"You don't remember? Rogue was trying to find out who attacked me, Tabby, and Jubilee. Then, once she found out it was Mystique, she ran off into the woods with Gambit following. And then Carol showed up and she held on too long. Rogue died a month later." Kitty was staring at him in disbelief. "Why don't you remember?"

"I don't know vhat you're talking about. You vere the only one attacked, but you vent into a coma. That vas three months ago." Kurt said, holding back the tears as he remembered it all too clearly.

**Flashback**

Someone had screamed in the middle of the night; someone that had sounded an awful lot like Kitty. Kurt had jumped out of bed and teleported downstairs where he believed the scream was coming from.

His heart seemed to stop when he noticed the girl lying on the floor in front of him. She was bruised horribly and she was lying in a small puddle of her own blood. Kurt wondered why no one else was coming.

He immediately scooped her up and teleported them both to the med. bay. He lay her down on a bed and ran to get McCoy. Hank cleaned her up while Kurt was talking with the Professor, Logan, and Ororo.

"I don't know what you're talking about, bub." Logan said after Kurt told them what happened. "No one screamed."

"I have to agree with Logan, Kurt." The Professor added. "But in any case, I am glad that you found Kitty when you did. I fear that if she had gone unnoticed any longer, she would have bled to death."

McCoy joined them and told them that Kitty had a few broken ribs and that he had to stitch up the spot where she had been stabbed; not to mention she was covered in bruises. The others' all wondered who could have done it, but there were no leads; the cameras had been short-circuited previously.

Hank continued to monitor her for the next few weeks, but she never once opened her eyes. And after a month, he concluded that she was, indeed, in a coma.

Her condition still hadn't changed and they never did find out who did it to her. They were still searching, but it was becoming harder to find anything out and they knew that in time all leads would end and they would either know, or not.

**End flashback**

Kitty stared at him incredulously. _What is he talking about? Has he like, lost his mind?_ She was about to ask him this when it hit her that everyone was acting weird toward her lately. In fact, no one had answered her when she spoke to them and they were acting like they couldn't even see her; everyone except Kurt and Lance. And that's when she realized she wasn't real.

Tears formed in her eyes and she looked back at Kurt. He noticed and decided to take her down to the med. bay. Once there, she saw her own body lying there, the only sign that she was alive was coming from the constant beep of the machines and the rising and falling of her chest.

She realized that she must be there for a reason. And that, after three months of this, she was able to talk to certain people. She then turned to Kurt and told him that he had to stop Rogue from becoming depressed and that he had to make sure she lived…for her.

Kurt agreed, but continued to stare at her lying on the bed. She also asked him to make sure Lance was ok. She told him to burn down their house and get them to join the X-Men; since they wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Kurt, once again, agreed.

"I vill make sure everything turns out for zhe best, Kitty." He said, turning around to look at the "spirit" Kitty.

"Thank you Kurt." She said quietly, smiling through the tears. "Can you also tell Lance that I love him."

"Ja." Kurt said hesitantly. "But you're going to get better. Don't give up Kitty. Please."

"I have to go now Kurt." Kitty said as she started to disappear into thin air. "My job here is done."

"No!" He shouted, reaching out to her.

"Goodbye Kurt." She whispered, giving him a small smile; and then she was gone. Kurt turned back to the girl on the bed and took her hand in his.

"Please…wake up." He whispered.

**A/N: **Hmm…now you all get to wonder if she'll wake up or not. Hehe.

Well, I made this chapter nice and long since the last one was all short and confusing. Hope this cleared up some stuff; or everything, actually. If not, just tell me what you want to know and I'll try my best to explain. Oh, and the next chapter will probably be the last...maybe.


	11. Don't give up

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, sorry.

A/N: Well, here it is everyone. The finale of this confusing fic. Hopefully this will clear everything up, if not…that's just too bad. Haha.

**Shadyk - **My evil plans have come to a finish! Mwuahaha!

**Bubbleyum - **Thank you! I know; it did get very confusing, didn't it? Hehe. All part of my evil plot to take over the world…I mean…uh…Enjoy the ending and hopefully it'll make _some _sense!

**XlancittycrazyX - **Does it count if they're both dead? Hehe. Just kidding…or am I?

**Numbuh333halfway2hell - **Lol. Thank you!…I think…

**Starrydreamz - **…Maaaayybee…Yeah, it is confusing…I should win a prize for most confusing story (though I'm sure there are more confusing fics out there…lol.) Anyway, everything will be found out now!

Chapter 11

Don't give up

The days passed by slowly and Kitty neither showed any signs of recovery or deterioration. Kurt had done as she asked and waited until all of the Brotherhood members were out of the house before setting fire to it. He felt a little guilty about it, but it had been what Kitty wanted. He then went back to the med. bay, but this time to visit his sister.

Remy was constantly by her side, waiting on her hand and foot. Rogue stayed really quiet most of the time, most likely blaming herself for what happened to Carol. Kurt watched from the other side of the room as Gambit whispered something to her, earning a small smile in return, but it would quickly be replaced by a frown; Remy would frown as well.

Kurt sighed and made his way over to his sister's bed. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile as he sat down on the edge of her bed. Gambit stood up and said that he'd give the two of them some time to talk and then went off, most likely to get something to eat.

"Rogue, zhis vasn't your fault." Kurt said, breaking the silence and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"It was Mystique, Kurt." She whispered, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "Mystique was controllin' her, but she had gotten away.

"Why would she have still come after me knowin' what would happen?" She asked quietly, wiping the tears away.

"I don't know." Kurt said, pulling his sister in a hug. And that's when what Kitty said hit him.

_Rogue was trying to find out who attacked me. Then, once she found out it was Mystique, she ran off into the woods with Gambit following. And then Carol showed up and she held on too long. Rogue died a month later._

If he didn't do something to help Rogue now, she was going to begin to slip into a depression; and then she would die. That's what Kitty had said. He understood now, it was like Kitty had had these visions for a reason, to make sure that things wouldn't turn out the same way she had seen them. She was able to tell him, because she knew he would be the one that could fix everything.

"Rogue, listen to me. Kitty told me zhat Mystique was who attacked her, disguised as Logan." Rogue was looking at him pityingly; though she was confused (a/n: Isn't everybody? Haha) about how he found out about it being Mystique. She was about to ask him, but he continued before she had the chance to open her mouth. "She said zhat once you found that out, you ran into zhe woods with Gambit following. That's vhen you ran into Carol, right?"

Rogue was shocked. How did he know that? She hadn't told anyone anything about any of it. _Had Kitty really told him that? Wait, what am Ah thinkin'? Kitty's still in a coma. Besides, how would she know? _Rogue shook her head; this was giving her a headache. Then, remembering Kurt's question she answered with a small "yes".

"And you held on too long, draining her completely and taking her powers permanently." This much, everyone knew; Rogue looked down at the blanket, blinking back more tears. "Rogue, you have to listen to me carefully. If you hold this in and ignore everyone, you're going to slip into a depression. Kitty said zhat you died a month after zhis happened." Rogue was gaping at him.

"What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout, Kurt? How did ya talk to Kitty?" She asked, somewhat angrily.

"It vas her spirit or something. She told me zhat I had to stop zhis stuff from happening. Vhy do you zhink I burned the Brotherhood house down?" She continued to stare at him in shock, fearing for his sanity. "Lance was drinking himself away over zhere. He vould have died too.

"_Trust_ me, Rogue. You need to not let this get to you. It obviously happened for a reason." He said, praying that she would take him seriously. "And if not for me, zhen live for Kitty. She vants you to live."

Rogue and Kurt both had tears in their eyes by this point. Rogue was going over what he had just told her in her mind once again. _It does make sense…kind of. But Ah can't figure out why Mystique attacked Kitty in the first place? Unless…she was tryin' to turn me against the X-Men or somethin'. That bitch!_ Rogue thought angrily. _Ah swear Ah will get my revenge on that woman one of these days…_

"Thanks Kurt, Ah really needed to hear that." Rogue said, giving him a true smile. "Ah promise Ah'll live…Ah'm not gonna give up anytime soon."

"Dat's good to hear chère, cause Gambit don' t'ink he'd be able to handle ya not bein' around." That received a blush from Rogue and a smirk from Remy.

"Shut it swamp rat." She said quietly, leaning back against the bed.

"Chère, guess what?" Gambit said excitedly; she gave him a quizzical look.

"Pyro wasn' the one to burn down the Boarding House?" She asked, sharing a look with Kurt while trying not to smile.

"Actually, non. But dat's not Gambit's news." He said, not catching the glance the siblings shared. "Remy joined de X-Men." Rogue stared at him in shock.

"Ya serious?" She asked, in disbelief.

"Oui." He said, smirking again.

Kurt decided to leave at this point and let them have their privacy. He stopped over in the room Kitty was in and sat with her for a while. He told her that he told Rogue everything she had told him to. He also told her that the Brotherhood, as well as Pyro and Gambit, had joined the X-Men. Kurt could have sworn he saw her smile, but when he looked again everything was the same as it had been previously.

Kurt heard the door open and turned to see who it was. Not that surprised to see that it was Lance, Kurt stood up and offered the older mutant the seat. Lance muttered thanks before sitting down and reaching for Kitty's hand.

Kurt left the room and made his way up to the kitchen. It had been a while since he last ate something. Upon entering the kitchen, he ran into Tabby and Pietro; both covered in flour. He sighed and made his way over to the fridge.

"Who let you two in zhe kitchen unsupervised?" He asked, pulling out necessary items for a sandwich.

"Actually blue, that's a funny story." Tabby started, grinning like a maniac. "See, we were in the rec. room…

**Flashback**

"Pietro! Give me back the remote." Tabby pouted, wrestling Pietro to the ground.

"Get a room." Pyro said, coming into the room, Wanda behind him. Pietro and Tabby looked at each other and grinned; Wanda rolled her eyes.

"What are you two up to anyway?" She asked, taking the remote from Pietro and plopping down on the couch beside John.

Pietro and Tabby stood up and sat back down on the other couch. They both had identical evil grins on their faces. Wanda shot them a threatening glare while Pyro watched in amusement.

"Let's do something fun!" Tabby said in a singsong voice. "I know!" She yelled, not giving anyone a chance to agree or disagree; and her smirk grew. "Let's play truth or dare."

"There's no way in hell I am playing a stupid game like that." Wanda said immediately, never taking her eyes off the screen as she flipped through the channels.

"Aww, come on Sheila! It'll be fun." Pyro said, giving her a look she couldn't resist. She groaned and a huge grin spread across his face.

"I'll start!" Tabby said excitedly. "Pyro, truth or dare?"

"Dare Sheila." He replied; Tabby smirked. _Well, that didn't take long._ She thought.

"I dare you to kiss Wanda for a full," She checked her imaginary watch. "Five minutes!" They both gaped at her; but then an evil grin spread across Pyro's face as well, and he captured Wanda's lips with his own before she knew what was going on.

**End flashback**

"…And anyway, after watching them make-out for about twenty minutes, we decided to have fun elsewhere." Tabby finished. "Besides, we were making cookies." Kurt noticed that there was a pile of burnt cookies piled on a plate on the table. He just shook his head and finished off his sandwich.

"Vhatever Tabby." He replied, grabbing a soda out of the fridge. "And I thought Kitty vas a bad cook." He muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" She shouted, throwing flour at him next. Kurt was smart and teleported out before it got ugly.

**Later**

The Professor called everyone into his office; which included everyone except Kitty, Rogue, and Gambit (who refused to leave the latter girl's side). The students all filed in and took seats on any available furniture; some remained standing. Once everyone was settled, the Professor announced that Rogue was making a full recovery, but Kitty's condition hadn't changed.

He also informed the students that Mystique had been the one responsible for both Kitty and Rogue's "attacks". That was why Wolverine was nowhere to be found; he was off trying to hunt her down.

The Professor was about to inform the students of another issue when suddenly the lights went out.

**BAM! **

The world exploded and everyone died.

The end!

(A/N: Haha, April Fools'!…It's September? What?…Stupid calendars lying to me…)

Scott and some of the others' immediately made their way down to get everything up and running again. Hank, on the other hand, hurried off to the med. lab. If the electricity had gone off, that meant that so did Kitty's only life force.

When he arrived, what he had feared had happened; the machine that had been keeping her alive had been shut off as well. And for some reason, the back up generator hadn't kicked in. He glanced at the young girl on the bed and his heart skipped a beat; Kitty wasn't breathing.

He immediately began mouth to mouth, trying to get her breathing again. It took a good five minutes, but he finally found a pulse. He sighed, relieved. The power came back on and Kitty's breathing returned to normal after a while.

Hank continued to monitor her through the night though, afraid that the shock of what happened earlier might cause her to go into a seizure or something. Lance had come back shortly after the power was back on and refused to leave her side. Hank admired the young men for their persistence. Gambit was also still in Rogue's room, sleeping very uncomfortably in a chair nearby her bed. Lance, however, was wide-awake.

"Kitty," He whispered, brushing her bangs back out of her face. "Kitty, please…you need to wake up.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you…I…I need you here." He continued, ignoring his tears that were falling onto her pale face.

"You're killing me." He muttered, kissing her cheek. "It's killing me to see you this way. You don't deserve this.

"I know you're still in there. I know you can hear me. So please, Kitty…please, just…wake up." He was begging her now. "I love you." He whispered, allowing another tear to fall onto her face; she squeezed his hand.

Lance stared in disbelief. He yelled for McCoy, who showed up moments later. He feared for the worst, but it seemed that a miracle had occurred. Her heartbeat was stronger and she was showing amazing signs of recovery. But it didn't make any sense whatsoever. (A/n: Does anything in this story?)

**2 months later**

Kitty had woken up the next day, but it had taken her a long time to recover completely; in fact, she was still recovering. Rogue was beginning to get a hold on her new powers and she was happier than anyone ever remembered her being. Logan never found Mystique, but it didn't matter. They all knew the truth and Rogue was dealing with it daily.

Her vow to make Mystique pay was still there, but at the moment she had other things to think about. Like the fact that the Professor had promised to look into finding a way for her to control her powers, if only for a little while.

Pietro and Tabby, as well as the New Recruits, were still reeking havoc amongst the Institute students, and occasionally the teachers as well; _teacher_ more like (a.k.a. Wolverine). And Pyro and Wanda were practically always connected at the hip…or mouth, more like.

Everything else at the Institute was how it always had been. But they were growing up and things had changed and were still changing. A whole new bunch of mutants were joining them soon, and more terror was likely to be caused.

But whatever was to come, they would be ready for it.

_Fin_

**A/N: **I don't think I'm really happy with that ending. Normally, Kitty would have died. But I was in a generous mood so you should all be thankful…cause I'm not one to do happy endings that often. (Of course, if you've read my other stories, you already know this. Hehe.) Well, anyway, I _really_ hope I cleared everything up. If not, I will write up a freaking summary explaining the whole effing story to the best of my abilities and I will post it as chapter 12 "The Pain I Caused"; since I probably gave lots of you headaches these last few chapters; I know I gave myself some.

And that reminds me, my title doesn't really make any sense now. It would've if I would've remembered my original plot. (Sigh) Oh well, no use living in the past. Well, I suppose it was Mystique who caused all the pain, so never mind. Or you can think of it as me causing you lots of pain…in headaches, that is. Well, until next story…Au revoir!


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